Culture & Heritage

KITZIT: SPRING CELEBRATION FESTIVAL

KITZIT is one of the Wakhi ceremony celebrated in the month of February to welcome the spring season and to expulsion the cold season. As the Gojal valley is highly scattered and the altitude of different valleys are different from others so this ceremony is performed on different dates. During this ceremony, the cold is symbolically driven out of houses. There are Shoghunputuk (a family having the privilege to start different events) in every villages in Gojal. On the evening of the day before Kithzit, a person from Shoghun Puthuk brings bundles of the branches of the wild sorghum and distribute it to  all households. This is used as drepch (broom) and kept near the roof of the house, close to the risin (opening for light and exit of smoke). On the day traditionally the family head cleans the smoke around the risin with bundles of the wild sorghum and the wife then cleans inside of the house. After this the family head sprinkles flour to the pillars of the house starting from right side of the house. Similarly flour is sprinkled on walls and doors of the house to clean it. Traditionally flour is also sprinkled on right shoulders of the family members.  During olden time special traditional meals were prepared consisting of Khistha (fermented thick bread) topped with milk and liquid rancid butter. After eating this meal the male family members move to a common place mostly around Jamat Khana. Every household prepares variety of traditional food, gather at one place, where all the people pray for unity and blessings and betterment of all humans. After this people symbolically bring manure to field.

KITZIT marks the end of wordlessness, lazy hibernating winter and gives new working life and regularize the people for new season to work with greater zeal in the field and outside homes. There is an old custom of sprinkling flour over the wall and pillars of the houses. Kitzit was also a day for the youngsters to play Toksuri (a traditional base ball type game). During olden time Polo was also played during this ceremony.

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